Cancer Research Horizons

Name

Cancer Research Horizons

Legal name

Cancer Research Horizons

Website

https://www.cancerresearchhorizons.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oncology Drug Discovery and Translation Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro primary industry

Oncology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scientific Data Management & Data Platforms (SDMS/Data Lakehouse for R&D) (HLAGAJAC), Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE), Molecular Tumor Boards & Clinical Interpretation Services (HLAAANAD), AI/ML Platforms for Drug Discovery & Experiment Optimization (HLAGAJAO)

Keywords

• Drug discovery services
• Cancer research translation
• Clinical drug development
• Oncology licensing
• Biomedical seed funding

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Licensing and Royalty Revenue: Revenue generated from licensing intellectual property, technologies, and data assets to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The organization has generated over £600m in revenue from royalties and IP, with 150+ active licences.
2. Equity Investment Returns: Returns from seed investments in startup companies. The organization has supported 79 startups to date, with portfolio companies raising over £3bn in total capital. Returns are reinvested into the fund and cancer research.
3. Data Licensing: Revenue from licensing oncology-focused datasets to researchers, biotech, pharma, and healthtech companies for biomarker discovery, model development, and translational research.
4. Research Tools Sales: Sales and licensing of cancer research tools through CancerTools platform, including antibodies, cell lines, organoids, and patient-derived models. Funds reinvested into cancer research through Cancer Research UK.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cancer Research Horizons is the wholly owned translational arm of Cancer Research UK that accelerates cancer discoveries from academic research into treatments and diagnostics. It operates six drug discovery sites across the UK staffed by 200+ scientists, provides clinical trial infrastructure through its Centre for Drug Development, manages the Functional Genomics Centre with AstraZeneca for CRISPR screening, runs the CancerTools research tools platform, licenses multi-modal oncology datasets, and operates a Seed Fund for early-stage cancer start-ups.

Product overview

Cancer Research Horizons is Cancer Research UK's translational arm operating as a unified platform combining multiple interconnected services to accelerate cancer discoveries from lab to patient. The core Therapeutic Innovation engine spans drug discovery sites across the UK, supported by the Functional Genomics Centre (CRISPR screening collaboration with AstraZeneca) and the Centre for Drug Development for clinical trials. The ecosystem includes CancerTools (research tools marketplace), a Data Portfolio of multi-modal oncology datasets, and a Seed Fund for early-stage investment. The organization manages a Therapeutic Pipeline of clinical and preclinical assets and offers Licensing Opportunities for external partnership. These components work together to translate discoveries through funding, drug discovery capabilities, clinical development, and commercialization support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CancerTools.org: Non-profit global research tools collaborative where cancer researchers from over 180 institutes worldwide contribute research tools including antibodies, cell lines, organoids, and patient-derived xenograft models
• Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development
• Functional Genomics Centre
• Cancer Research Horizons Seed Fund
• Cancer Impact Booster

Products and services

• Therapeutic Innovation Cancer Research UK's internal drug discovery engine offering expertise from target identification through candidate selection for both small molecule and antibody modalities, staffed by 200+ drug discovery scientists across six UK sites.
• Functional Genomics Centre Collaboration with AstraZeneca providing pooled CRISPR knockout and activation screening, cancer models, CRISPR vector design, and computational approaches to identify genome-wide genetic vulnerabilities for cancer drug discovery.
• Centre for Drug Development Clinical development infrastructure offering first-in-human trials and early-phase cancer drug development with a team of over 100 scientists and operational staff, supported by preclinical and medical sciences, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, project management, drug safety, clinical operations and data management.
• Data Portfolio Structured oncology datasets combining imaging, multi-omics, pathology, and clinical outcomes data spanning over 750,000 de-identified patients across 15+ data partnerships and 20+ data sites, available for licensing to researchers, biotech, pharma, and healthtech companies.
• CancerTools Global research tools collaborative providing 5,000+ cancer research tools including antibodies, cell lines, organoids, and patient-derived xenograft models contributed by cancer researchers from over 180 institutes worldwide.
• Seed Fund Early-stage investment fund providing pre-seed and seed capital to high-potential cancer research start-ups, with £8m committed and £32.9m co-investment secured to date.
• Therapeutic Pipeline Portfolio of clinical and preclinical oncology assets spanning from early stage discovery through Phase III, including 14 marketed drugs and active candidates across multiple therapeutic classes.
• Licensing Opportunities Oncology-focused projects available for licensing or collaboration including novel biological and chemotherapeutic agents, diagnostics, enabling technologies, and data assets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 new cancer drugs brought to market
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• UCBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Strategic alliance combining UCB's antibody discovery and biologics capabilities with Cancer Research UK's translational research infrastructure and Cancer Research Horizons' oncology innovation network. Aims to advance promising oncology assets from early discovery through clinical development, focusing on targeted therapies for patients with high unmet medical need.
• C-Further ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 March 2026International consortium dedicated to childhood cancer therapeutics with initial $40m (£30m) budget. Core partners include Cancer Research Horizons, LifeArc, and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity. Programs include CF-012 for Ewing sarcoma and CF-033 for multiple children's cancers.
• AstraZenecacoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership in the Functional Genomics Centre, a unique collaboration leveraging Cancer Research UK's world-class scientific network and AstraZeneca's oncology drug discovery and development experience. Focuses on CRISPR screens, cancer models, and identifying novel targets and drug resistance mechanisms.
• Astex PharmaceuticalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic drug discovery alliance with Newcastle University and Cancer Research Horizons. Extended collaboration to discover novel compounds for development. Astex brings pharmaceutical development expertise to advance compounds into development.
• LifeArccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in C-Further consortium for childhood cancer therapeutics and other translational initiatives. LifeArc provides medical research expertise to accelerate promising discoveries toward patient benefit.
• Great Ormond Street Hospital CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner in C-Further consortium dedicated to childhood cancer therapeutics, providing clinical expertise and supporting advancement of pediatric oncology programs.
• Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug DevelopmentcoreOthersInternal partnership providing clinical development capabilities including preclinical and medical sciences, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, project management, drug safety, clinical operations and data management. Over 30 years experience with 6 agents registered as medicines.
• iOncturasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner developing cambritoxestat (IOA-289), an autotaxin inhibitor for pancreatic cancer, currently in Phase I/II trials.
• Oncode AcceleratorsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Dutch cancer research ecosystem to support translation of cancer discoveries and company formation across borders.
• Karolinska InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership providing access to Swedish cancer research excellence and potential company formation opportunities.
• Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with Singapore's national drug discovery platform to advance oncology research and development.
• AbcamsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for research tools and technologies supporting cancer research activities.
• Twist BiosciencesupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership providing synthetic DNA solutions for cancer research and drug discovery programs.
• MercksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partnership for drug discovery and development collaboration in oncology.
• Dutch Cancer Society (KWF)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Dutch cancer charity to support international collaboration in cancer research and translation.
• Norwegian Cancer SocietysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Norwegian cancer organization to support international research collaboration.
• Oncode InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Dutch fundamental cancer research institute to support translation of discoveries.
• Capital EnterprisesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Cancer Tech Accelerator created by Cancer Research UK, Cancer Research Horizons, and Capital Enterprise in collaboration with Blood Cancer UK, The Brain Tumour Charity, and HGF Ltd to help entrepreneurs develop tech-enabled concepts into startup companies.
• Blood Cancer UKsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Cancer Tech Accelerator for childhood and blood cancer innovations.
• The Brain Tumour CharitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Cancer Tech Accelerator for brain tumour research and company formation.
• HGF LtdsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIntellectual property specialist partner in Cancer Tech Accelerator providing IP expertise to entrepreneurs.
• RadNetsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCancer Research UK's radiation research network providing expertise in radiation oncology research.
• International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection (ACED)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership alliance focused on early cancer detection research and translation.
• National Biomarker Centre (NBC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CRUK's national biomarker centre for biomarker discovery and validation research.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LifeArc: UK medical research charity translational arm that funds, develops, and commercialises life-sciences discoveries, including oncology. Operates the same non-profit-to-industry bridge model as Cancer Research Horizons, with comparable outreach to academic researchers and pharma.
• MRC Technology (MRC): Translational arm of UK Research and Innovation's Medical Research Council, supporting drug discovery and human-health translational programmes. Closely comparable in mission, governance (charity-aligned), and translational activity to Cancer Research Horizons.
• The Francis Crick Institute (commercialisation): Major UK biomedical discovery institute whose spin-outs (e.g., ALTx Therapeutics) frequently emerge via Cancer Research Horizons' Seed Fund. Comparable as a source of UK oncology translational assets flowing through the same spin-out and licensing pathway.
• Oncode Institute: Dutch cancer research institute partnering with Cancer Research Horizons to translate Dutch oncology discoveries. Closely comparable as a European non-profit cancer research translation entity forming spin-outs and licensing assets.

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: UK-based global charitable foundation funding scientific research including oncology and infectious disease. Comparable as a large UK/philanthropic translational funder, though broader in scope than cancer-only Cancer Research Horizons.
• Allen Institute for Cancer Research: US-based philanthropic research organisation with a focus on high-risk high-impact cancer research programmes. Comparable as a non-profit translational cancer research entity operating at scale, though broader in scientific scope.

Others

• Syncona Investment Management: UK-listed life-sciences investment company that builds and funds biotech companies (a board seat is held on Cancer Research Horizons). Adjacent as a UK oncology specialist investor and co-investor in many of the same spin-outs (e.g., ALTx).
• Medicxi: European life-sciences-focused venture firm investing in asset-centric biotechs and spin-outs. Comparable as a co-investor and competing capital provider in UK/EU oncology spin-outs alongside the Cancer Research Horizons Seed Fund.
• Leaps by Bayer: Pharma-led impact investment vehicle funding breakthroughs in health and agriculture. Comparable as a strategic, mission-driven investor that takes early-stage translational risk in oncology and adjacent therapeutic categories.

Regional players

• CureSearch for Children's Cancer: US-based non-profit funding and translating children's cancer research. Comparable in mission (cancer-focused translational funding, seed-stage investment) but operates in a different geography than the UK-anchored Cancer Research Horizons.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CR_Horizons
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cancerresearchhorizons

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments16 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cancer Research Horizons